Who among the Shi‘a are the *aṣḥāb al-ra’y*, and how can they be identified? Please explain.
قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (ع):
«يَا مَعْشَرَ شِيعَتِنَا وَ الْمُنْتَحِلِينَ مَوَدَّتَنَا إِيَّاكُمْ وَ أَصْحَابَ الرَّأْيِ فَإِنَّهُمْ أَعْدَاءُ السُّنَنِ تَفَلَّتَتْ مِنْهُمُ الْأَحَادِيثُ أَنْ يَحْفَظُوهَا وَ أَعْيَتْهُمُ السُّنَّةُ أَنْ يَعُوهَا فَاتَّخَذُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ خَوَلًا وَ مَالَهُ دُوَلًا فَذَلَّتْ لَهُمُ الرِّقَابُ وَ أَطَاعَهُمُ الْخَلْقُ أَشْبَاهُ الْكِلَابِ وَ نَازَعُوا الْحَقَّ أَهْلَهُ وَ تَمَثَّلُوا بِالْأَئِمَّةِ الصَّادِقِينَ وَ هُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ الْمَلاعِينِ فَسُئِلُوا عَمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ فَأَنِفُوا أَنْ يَعْتَرِفُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ فَعَارَضُوا الدِّينَ بِآرَائِهِمْ فَضَلُّوا وَ أَضَلُّوا أَمَا لَوْ كَانَ الدِّينُ بِالْقِيَاسِ لَكَانَ بَاطِنُ الرِّجْلَيْنِ أَوْلَى بِالْمَسْحِ مِنْ ظَاهِرِهِمَا
Translation:
“O our Shi‘a, and you who consider yourselves to be in the right and among the Shi‘a! Keep away from the *aṣḥāb al-ra’y*, for they are enemies of the Sunnah. They are heedless and ignorant of how to preserve the Sunnah, and the Sunnah has not entrusted its preservation to them. They enslave God’s servants and divide His wealth among themselves. People bow their heads before them in humiliation, and the masses obey them like dogs. The *aṣḥāb al-ra’y* contend with the people of truth and present themselves as though they were the Imams of truth, even though they are accursed unbelievers. When asked about something they do not know, they refuse to admit their ignorance. Instead, they oppose God’s religion with their own opinions, and so they go astray and lead others astray. Know that if God’s religion were based on analogy, wiping the soles of the feet would surely be more fitting than wiping their upper surfaces.”
(*Biḥār al-anwār*, vol. 2, p. 84)
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ